Pray to God for Me (A Pastor's Request)

Brothers and sisters, I encourage you through our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit creates, to join me in my struggle. Pray to God for me...
-- Romans 15:30 (GWT)

These words recorded in Romans 15:30 by Pastor Paul (a.k.a. The Apostle Paul) are positive proof that pastors need others to pray with them, and especially to pray for them. Each Tuesday morning, men from our local church gather with me as part of "The Pastor's Prayer Patrol". It's humbly named The "Pastor's" Prayer Patrol, because as a pastor, I realize how very much I need other people interceding with me, and especially interceding for me, in fervent prayer.

Recently, a dear brother-in-the-Lord e-mailed me a very touching prayer. It was a prayer he was praying for me as a pastor. Amazingly, this dear brother does not even attend the local fellowship that I pastor. In fact, he lives many miles away from me. However, the distance surely doesn't stop him from realizing that pastors desperately need prayer. Hear and join in on the prayer he prayed for this pastor, yes for me:

"Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of leadership you have given to Pastor Kerry. It is a holy calling. It's a calling to watch over himself and the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made him overseer. The church has been bought with the blood of your Son, on the cross. The responsibility you have given to Pastor Kerry is awesome. He too is tempted and tried by the enemy. He has many responsibilities be it in his family or in the community and so it is our prayer that he would be kept from the evil one and that you would empower him to live a godly life, so that out of his fullness he would share the message of the gospel boldly. Help Pastor Kerry this week as he searches the Word and Your will for the congregation. Will you grant him the
health and strength he needs to share Your message in humility and with clarity. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

I am humbled, grateful, and speechless for this prayer, Brother Keith. I pray it will encourage others to pray for pastors everywhere, beginning with the pastor-author of this blog.

Pray to God for me...
Grateful (a.k.a. Pastor Kerry)

What Jesus Promised

And be sure of this:
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
-- Parting Promise of Jesus recorded in Matthew 28:20b

Yesterday, a dear brother and I exchanged e-mails. He wrote to say he has been struggling lately with hard issues in life. I sent Him this song. I am sure it encouraged Him and pray it will encourage you.

Click here: Pam Thum - Life Is Hard.mpg - YouTube

Life is Hard, But God is Good!
Grateful

Who Can Be Trusted?

I alone am the God Who can be trusted.
-- From Isaiah 65:16 (CEV)

Today, Lord, we know as we place all of our trust in You, that Your mercies are renewed towards us. As new challenges arise on the horizons of our lives, encourage our hearts in knowing that Your compassions are also replenishing on our behalf. It's true, on Christ The Solid Rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Amen.

Click here: On Christ the Solid Rock - YouTube

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

We Still Have Some Life In Us!

In my reading recently, I ran across these somewhat amplified Scripture paraphrases adapted from portions of the cherished 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 passage. I pray the words will encourage you as they encouraged and still encourage me:

We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our ... mortal flesh. (Version Unknown)

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, He does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best! -- 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (The Message)

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

You Encourage Me

This week I was blessed to hear Dr. Dennis Kinlaw speak at a conversation gathering for pastors and evangelists in Wilmore, Kentucky. Because he is advancing well into his eighties, he was wheeled in a chair to the front of the lecture hall where he greeted us in His encouraging Christlike manner and delivered one of the most wonderful messages I have ever heard from the book of Genesis on the topic of God wanting us to be His conversation partners for life and eternity. He spoke well over an hour but it seemed like a few fleeting moments to me.

After the sacred session, I walked to the front to thank Dr. Kinlaw and to ask him to personalize a copy of his newest book to me. He graciously did. Then I handed the book and pen to his precious granddaughter, "Cricket", who serves as his personal research assistant and who was his caretaker for the day and asked her to also personalize the book on the same page that her grandfather had just written. Humbly, underneath her grandfather's gracious words, she signed her name and referenced what is probably her life's verse -- Psalm 138:3.

The Lord sure encouraged me through Dr. Dennis Kinlaw and his precious granddaughter, "Cricket".

When I pray, you answer me; You encourage me by giving me the strength I need. -- Psalm 138:3 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Our God Untangles the Knots

The plain paraphrase of Isaiah 45:2 from the Free Translation of the Holy Bible gives us reason to be encouraged as we hear this powerful promise from our Holy God:

I will go before Thee and unwind the snarls (untangle the knots)...

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

My God Canceled My "Train" Ticket! Ps.16:10

Yesterday, as I was reading through the Old Testament Psalms from The Message Paraphrase of the Holy Bible, these ten words from Psalm 16:10 passionately encouraged my soul. I'm guessing the same ten words will encourage your soul, too:

You canceled my ticket to Hell -- that's not my destination!

Country singer, Josh Turner sings a song titled "The Long Black Train." He tells about how the Devil drives that long black train leading eternal souls to Hell. As I saturate and celebrate in Psalm 16:10, I can hear these words of Josh Turner's song in my mind:

Look to the heavens. You can look to the skies.
You can find redemption staring back into your eyes.
There is protection and there's Peace the same...
Burnin' your ticket for that Long Black Train.

'Cause there's vict'ry in the Lord I say.
Yes, there's Vict'ry in the Lord.
So, cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

Lord, I thank You for the reality of Psalm 16:10 in my life! You have canceled my ticket to Hell -- that's not my destination. Because You're taking me with You, Lord, in a whole new direction, the whistle for that long black train becomes more distant day-by-day in my life. How sweet it is!

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

P.S. You might not believe this, but as I post this blog entry I can hear a train rumbling down the track and I hear the whistle blowing. Just in case you're wondering, the train is going away from me, not coming for me. Yes, my Loving God has canceled my long-black-train ticket. :-)

Be 1.2.3.

A dear family of four from our local church family, The Barkers, just moved around the world to serve the Lord in Botswana, Africa. Settling in is surely challenging to say the least, but they are reminded (by those already serving in Botswana) to always remember the three "P's" of Africa. Maybe the three "P's" of Africa will help us in our lives today wherever we are:

1. Be Polite
2. Be Patient
3. Be Persistent

Thanks to Africa for the heads-up encouragement. Sounds Biblical to me. So, let's BE 1.2.3.

2 Timothy 4:2b -- (NLT) "Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."

ALL JOY!
Grateful